The Philadelphia Eagles still have the biggest 2 decisions of their offseason coming up — if and when they will trade wide receiver A.J. Brown and if and when they will grant NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter a lucrative contract extension.
According to Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker, the 2 things might actually be tied in a very basic way. That is, if the Eagles trade the highly-paid Brown, they’re going to automatically have more money to pay Carter. Simple.
“(Carter) was monstrous as a pass-rusher with a 77.0 PFF pass-rush grade and 46 pressures generated,” Locker wrote on Tuesday. “That’s exactly what Carter has done since breaking into the league, with his 13.5% pass-rush win rate slotting ninth among qualified interior defenders in that span. Philadelphia added Jordan Davis, Carter’s running mate, to their long list of talented players on large deals earlier this offseason. Carter should be next up, becoming the ninth Eagle to ink a contract worth at least $60 million — and an expected A.J. Brown trade would help catalyze the extension.”
For Carter, there might be some value in putting off his extension until after this season because, were he to have another NFL All-Pro season, he could very well demand a contract similar to the 3-year, $150 million contract extension recently signed by Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.
Another Option: Brown and Carter Both Get Traded
One other path for the Eagles is trading both Brown and Carter, with the thought that both players have been big enough distractions over the last few years that having them elsewhere is better for the franchise in the long run.
Since signing Davis to a 3-year, $78 million contract extension, the Eagles have reportedly been fielding trade offers for Carter, arguably the NFL’s best young defensive tackle and already an NFL All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion through his 1st 3 seasons.
“With defensive tackle Jordan Davis now extended, Philly also must weigh whether to extend Jalen Carter, who is eligible for a new deal,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on Sunday. “I’m told Philly has received trade calls on Carter.”
What Carter might bring back to the Eagles in any given trade is up for debate, although any package would almost certainly include 1 — if not 2 — 1st round picks.
Eagles May Have Already Tried to Trade Carter
The Eagles tried to obtain former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons in a trade before the 2025 season.
It was a deal that almost happened until Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stepped in and decided he couldn’t stomach Parsons going to an NFC East Division rival.
To hear Parsons tell it, the deal didn’t go down for a different reason. He said the Eagles were willing to give up Carter in exchange for him, but he didn’t want to play for the Eagles if he couldn’t play with Carter.
Parsons was eventually traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for 2 first round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
“There was one person that I had to play with that if he was gone I did not want to be there — and that was Jalen Carter,” Parsons said in a Bleacher Report podcast conversation with Brown and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
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